Improvement in knitting-machine needles



D, BICKFORD.

Improvement in Knitting-Machine Needles.

Np. 132,382, Paten ted Oct. 22,1872.

' WITNESEEEI jmw I NT R= 4!. MUM-LIMOMIIWM ca MK (Mam/I53 Mann) DANABIGKFORD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING-MACHINE NEEDLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,382,

dated October 22, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANA Broxronn, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LatchKnitting-Needles; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken inconnec-' tion with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of thisspecification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enablethose skilled in the art to practice it.

My improvements relate to latch knittingneedles and consist in apeculiar construction of the same.

a The drawing illustrates a latch-needle having my improvements.

In the drawing, 1 designates the cut or slab, and 2 the open latch, thenib or spoon of the latter reaching, as will be seen, just enough beyondthe commencement of the cut, and the out being abrupt enough to leave anangle between the two large enough to insure that the largest yarn thatcan ever be used in the machine shall run freely under the latch Withoutany danger of splitting the yarn; while, at the same time, the latchitself shall be permitted to lie when open, as nearly as practicable, ina flat position-that is, as nearly as may be parallel with the axis ofthe needleso as to allow the newly-formed loop to ride back over thelatch without being torn or distended thereby. The cut-away space 1extends some considerable distance back of the spoon of the latch, so asto permit the yarn of the discharging loop, as the needle is drawn back,to be well flattened down, and to ride as far as practicable in suchcondition before it passes under the latch. A notch for permitting theneedle to be hung up out of action by the mere hold upon it of its ownloop is seen at 3. This simple device for performing so important aduty, and whereby an operator can, at will, and at an instants notice,change the character of the work without using any implement, orremoving a needle from the machine, will be readily understood bysupposing the circular cylinder of a family knitting-machine to be fullysupplied with the needles: if now it be required, in order to make aparticular style of fancy work, or to vary the style of goods already inthe machine, to throw out of action some of the needles, say every thirdor fourth or tenth one, as the case may be, in regular order, or in anyother order, regular or irregular, each of such needles needs only to belifted by the operator until its-loop lodges in the notch 3, whenit willbe permanently held up out of the reach of the cams until it is desiredagain to bring it into action, which can then be instantly done bysimply pushing it down to place again; after which the "cams, in theirmovements, will operate them as before. It will be, of course,understood that the position of the notch relative to the lower end ofthe needle must be always such that when lifted the butt shall be clearof the cams; and the form and depth of the notch are immaterial, so longas they are sufficient properly to effect the object, and permit theloop to hold the needle suspended.

Instead of the notch 3 on the hooked side of the needle, a notch ornotches may be made on other sides of the needle or a little swell,projection, or bend, or equivalent device may be employed, adapted toaccomplish the same purpose.

Needles are generally flattened at their sides, thattheir shanks mayproperly play in the grooves of the frame or cylinder, and not turn intheir grooves, or, in other words, upon their axes, and so fail to takethe yarn and to do their work. This flattening also extends to andincludes the butt, the portion of said butt which runs orrides overthecams being also flattened, but without any object, it being simply easyto flatten the whole while flattening the shank. It is found in practicethat the sharp edges thus given to the butt rub directly upon the camsand wear them away; and that, in case of extra friction, they also cutthe cams and make ruts in them. This makes it also necessary to use aharder character of steel for the cam s.

To avoid these bad effects and remedy the difficulty in a simpleyetthoroughly practical manner, I make the butt, or such part of it asruns over the cams, cylindrical in cross-section, as seen in thedrawing. If desired this cylindrical part may have a friction rollerplaced on, still more to lessen the wear.

I claim- The knitting-machine latch-needle having the cut 1, the notch 3or its equivalent, and the butt made cylindrical, in whole or in part,substantially as shown and described.

DANA BIOKFORD.

Witnesses W. BRADFORD, B1). A. HYDE.

